Major Gifts: Discovery Phone Calls to Major-Gift Prospects—It’s All About Asking the Right Questions!

Identifying and qualifying donors are important tasks for every major-gift officer. But how do you manage to find out whether a suspect is a major donor prospect or not?

I like to start with a simple qualifying phone call to my donors. My discovery phone calls are vital to keeping my major-gift donor pipeline alive and well.

But what exactly is a “discovery call”? It’s a call to someone who may or may not have given in the past. If you work in medicine, it may be a call to a grateful patient who has expressed an interest.

In other settings, it may be a call to a first-time donor or someone who has made small but consistent gifts. When a donor makes an initial gift to your organization, they are often saying, “I like what I see so far. If you continue to impress me, I may give more.”

Sherlock’s IQ is 190, or at least that’s what John Radford estimates in his book, The Intelligence of Sherlock Holmes and Other Three Pipe Problems. For perspective the average IQ is between 100 and 110. Einstein’s was 160.

The goal of almost every discovery phone call is not to get the visit but to determine whether a visit is warranted.

Wow, did I shock you by saying that? I’m not surprised, since most development officers are evaluated by the number of visits they can generate.

But think about it: Your time is precious, resources are limited, and you can’t afford to travel across town to visit someone you could easily have disqualified through a phone call. Agreed?

The truth is, even among donors who already support your organization, typically only one in three is interested in engaging with you.

If you follow this simple formula, you’ll spend less time going on fruitless visits and more time with major-gift prospects closing bigger gifts in less time.

A discovery call is first and foremost an opportunity to listen and not talk so much. And when you ask good questions, you’ll have a wonderful conversation that will yield the answers you need in order to qualify the prospect.

In the 20-plus years I’ve been doing discovery work, I have found that asking questions in three categories and in the following sequence works well: (1) questions to assess interest, (2) questions to assess financial capacity, and (3) questions to determine next steps. Here are examples of some of the questions I ask and some of the responses I’ve gotten.

Questions that assess your donor’s interest

• Can you tell me more about your experiences with our organization?
• Would you be interested in learning more about the research of Dr. Nelson?
• Would you like to become more engaged with our organization?

Example of response received: “I used to be a victim of domestic violence and had to flee with my three-year-old son. Unfortunately, your center didn’t exist then.” This person ended up making a $2 million gift to a family violence center I worked for.

Questions that assess your donor’s financial capacity

• What type of work do you do?
• Do you have plans to travel?
• What other organizations do you support?

Example of response received: “Now that my cancer treatments are behind me, I’m going to visit my grandfather, who owns a bunch of copper mines in Chile.” This person ultimately funded a professorship in gratitude for her physician.

Questions that help determine next steps with your donor

• Would it be convenient for us to meet in the next few weeks?
• Would you be interested in a behind-the-scenes tour of our facility?
• Would it be OK if we continue our conversation over another phone call?

Example of response received: “You don’t want to come all this way for just me. I’m just a plain old country boy.” This person owned several gas stations and a NASCAR team. He eventually established a research fund for GI cancers.

At the end of the day, it’s truly fun to talk with individuals who love your organization.

So get in the groove and make at least 10 discovery calls a week. I promise that you’ll have great conversations while following my formula for success.

Happy discovery!

Sidebar: Debunking Discovery Phone Call Myths

Myth: The purpose of a discovery phone call is to get a visit.

Reality: The purpose of the call is to determine whether a visit is warranted.

Myth: Don’t disclose your title.

Reality: Your job is to raise funds for your cause. Always be transparent about your role.

Myth: Share as much as possible about the good works of your organization.

Reality: The focus should be on asking the right questions and listening.

Myth: Never ask for a gift during a discovery call.

Reality: In cases where someone expresses an interest in your cause but is not a major-gift prospect, asking for an annual gift is perfectly acceptable.

Myth: Never use a script during a call.

Reality: You want to be warm and conversational, but you also want to make sure you ask the right questions, so following a script outline is the best way to go.